MSS: Kelsey Ward

Kelsey Ward is a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, and on today's show, she talks about how swimming at Drury enriched her life, both in and out of the pool. She helped Drury win NCAA team titles and volunteered at an organization in Missouri that helped children with illnesses.

Show Transcript: (Note: This is an automated service where some typos and grammatical errors may occur.)

Peter Busch: This is the Morning Swim Show for Tuesday, September 27th, 2011. I'm your host Peter Busch. In a few weeks the NCAA will announce their Woman of the Year Award. It's a very prestigious award and out of the nine finalists, four of them are from aquatic sports. We've had three of them on the show so far, Arizona swimmer Annie Chandler, Swim and Track star Laura Barito from the Stevens Institute, and Trinity diver Hayley Emerick. Today our guest is Kelsey Ward. She was a swimmer at Drury and helped them win three straight national team titles at the Division Two level. Kelsey joins us right now in the FINIS monitor from Denver. Kelsey, welcome to the Morning Swim Show. How are you?

Kelsey Ward: Good, thank you.

Peter Busch: I was looking over your résumé. You're like a cross between Albert Einstein and Mother Teresa.

Kelsey Ward: That is most definitely not true.

Peter Busch: Well, you're a double major in college in biology and chemistry, right?

Kelsey Ward: That's right.

Peter Busch: You spent a lot of time when you're at Drury working with a charity that helped kids who were ill. So, yeah, that's pretty accurate.

Kelsey Ward: Far from it still.

Peter Busch: All right, let's start with the school. Double major in chemistry and biology, how did you even have time to swim?

Kelsey Ward: Well, I knew when I chose the college, I definitely -- my main focus was gonna be my education and then athletic is next ‘cause I wanted to swim in college and -- I mean, the education is always really important, but I also think the athletics keep you on track because you know that you don't have time for -- really, to waste time. So it keeps you from the fascinating and it's definitely has helped me throughout my years since I've graduated and gone into higher education just to teach you to time manage, so definitely possible.

Peter Busch: You must like spending a lot of time in labs.

Kelsey Ward: In labs. Well, I'm definitely doing a lot of that these days but I guess it has its good qualities.

Peter Busch: You're going to med school at Colorado University. What do you wanna do specifically?

Kelsey Ward: I'm not exactly sure. I'm trying to keep open mind but I'm really interested in pediatrics right now. So I may always go down that avenue.

Peter Busch: Very cool. And you were a swimmer, Drury, great swimming school, three straight Division Two titles. You were on some of the national championship winning relays as well including -- you capped off your career on that 400 freestyle relay. That's a great way to end.

Kelsey Ward: Yes, it's definitely was. It was one of the highlights of my career in swimming. It was absolutely amazing.

Peter Busch: Tell us about, you know, swimming for Drury.

Kelsey Ward: Swimming for Drury really, takes a lot of time to describe but to condense it, it was amazing and I never would have -- if I could go back, I would choose to go there every single time. And it was an amazing experience and the team and the coaches are all just -- they're fantastic and it's like a family away from your family and everyone is so close, and I think in the end that's why we ended up being as successful as we are.

Peter Busch: And on top of the heavy school workload, on top of swimming time commitment, you did a lot of volunteering. Tell us about this charity you're involved with.

Kelsey Ward: Champions Committed to Kids is my main charity that I was involved with, and it actually started in Springfield, Missouri, where Drury is, and it takes children that have chronic illnesses or fighting serious diseases. And since they're unable to really participate in the sports that they love, we hook them up with a high school or college team and to give them an opportunity to really kind of be adopted by the team so they can get exposure to those sports and make connections with the athletes. And in the beginning I had this idea that athletes were really doing something for these children, but you realize as you're involved in it that these kids are actually teaching you more that you're teaching them. And it's just an amazing program and I'm really excited because they're actually getting ready to open a chapter at Denver Children's Hospital at the end of this month. So, hopefully, I'll really be able to continue with that here in Denver.

Peter Busch: That's so cool. So it was a natural fit for you because you're interested in medicine, making people better, feel better. So that was a good fit for you.

Kelsey Ward: Yes, definitely. I love every aspect of it.

Peter Busch: Now, I don't know how you could squeeze any more interest into your life, but we read somewhere that you're interested in global studies as well and it kinda dates back to -- in high school you did a year of studies in Austria, is that right?

Kelsey Ward: That's right.

Peter Busch: So you speak German?

Kelsey Ward: No, not anymore. Actually, I lived there for a year. I could understand a lot of it but, unfortunately, when you move away and don't use it, you kind of lose your ability.

Peter Busch: Now, why did you end up doing that? Was it like a family thing, you have to go over there or…? Kelsey Ward: My stepdad actually got a job transfer my -- going into my senior year of high school and they gave me the option of either staying and finishing my senior year in Missouri or going to an international school in Vienna. And I was very quick to jump on the opportunity to live in Europe for a year. And I'm definitely glad that I did it ‘cause it was an amazing experience.

Peter Busch: So you're not just book smart, you've got -- you've expanded your mind, done some traveling. Very impressive. You're gonna be tough to beat in this competition, I think, Kelsey.

Kelsey Ward: We'll see. I've read up on a lot of the girls and they all just seem absolutely incredible.

Peter Busch: Is this so impressive that four of the nine finalists, aquatic sports, three of them swimmers?

Kelsey Ward: It is amazing, and I think the past two years, weren't they swimmers that have won in the end?

Peter Busch: Well, three Arizona swimmers have won in the past four years. Annie Chandler is trying to keep that streak alive, so...

Kelsey Ward: Sorry?

Peter Busch: Annie Chandler is, you know, an Arizona swimmer. She's in the finalists, too. So, history would favor her, but, I mean it's just -- I think it's amazing that so many swimmers are being recognized.

Kelsey Ward: It is amazing, I agree. Peter Busch: Well, congratulations on being a part of the field and, I mean, you're obviously one of the best and brightest we've ever had on the show, so you should be very proud.

Kelsey Ward: Thank you so much for having me. Peter Busch: All right, that's Kelsey Ward joining us in the FINIS monitor. And that is it for today's show. I'm Peter Busch reminding you to keep your head down at the finish.